Matthew Barber Returns to His Roots for New Self-Titled LP

Last year, Toronto, ON songwriter Matthew Barber released True Believer, an album that he promised would forge new ground by being more "uplifting" than his past works. Well, Barber is now getting ready to unveil the follow-up, and this time he's going back to basics.

According to a press release, the new self-titled record finds Barber "returning to his roots by playing all of the instruments, as well as handling the recording and mixing duties." He laid down the ten tracks in his basement over the winter. This process recalls his earliest four-track experiments, made when he was a student at Queen's University.

In a statement, the songwriter said that he read Keith Richards' autobiography during the sessions, adding, "I also got an iPhone around that time and the only album I had on it for months was [the Rolling Stones'] Beggars Banquet, which became a reference point sonically."

As for the lyrical content, Barber explained, "The heart of the record is about being in a long-term relationship." You can hear evidence of this romantic approach in single "Ring Upon Your Finger," which you can download here.

The self-titled album will drop digitally on May 31, with the physical release slated for June 7 via Outside Music. See the tracklist below, and keep scrolling down to check out Barber's upcoming tour dates. He will be playing a handful of Canadian dates in June with Oh Susanna.